Katherine vs. Thompson

FRED FUMBLES, FAILS TO FUNDRAISE, FIRES STAFFERS
 
Katherine has all the answers, is a prolific fundraiser because people love her so much, and only fires liberal staffers who leak winning campaign strategy to the Democrats or if they mess up her Starbucks order.

Thompson has had difficulty on all three fronts in recent weeks. He has:

Sidelined his campaign-manager-in-waiting and watched a few other aides flee what Republican critics and allies alike describe as a woefully muddled organization in which Thompson's wife, Jeri, has extraordinary control. Other staffers are considering leaving as well, seemingly frustrated with the lack of direction. 

Reported collecting nearly $3.5 million in his first fundraising month, surpassing comparable totals of some likely rivals but lagging his backers' original $5 million goal. GOP officials say subsequent fundraising has fallen off some, which could indicate soft support for Thompson or reflect the traditionally slow summer.

FRED PROPOSES INDEXING SOCIAL SECURITY TO INFLATION
 
Katherine knows that we do that already and besides, she wants to privatize the whole thing anyways.

Trying to explain his Social Security plans, Thompson said, "One of the other things that could be done would…index benefits to inflation." Oops, we already do that. It's right there as the first answer on the FAQ from the Social Security website: "No, there are no plans to cut benefits for current retirees. In fact, benefits will continue to be increased each year with inflation." [http://www.ssa.gov/qa.htm]
 
  
FRED SUPPORTS FAIR TAX THEN DOESN’T SUPPORT FAIR TAX
 
Katherine has always supported the Fair Tax because she believes the more we tax poor people and the less we tax rich people like her, the better off people like her will be.

Thompson Told FairTax.Org That He Supported the ‘Fair Tax’ Legislation But His Aides Deny It. Video from FairTax.Org shows that when asked if passed, he would sign the ‘Fair Tax’ bill, Thompson replied, “Yeah, absolutely.” However, Thompson spokesperson Linda Rozett claimed “He has not taken this pledge.” [ABC News, 7/31/07]

Thompson Spoke In Broad Terms About Taxes, But Refused To Commit To A Tax Position. During an editorial board meeting with the Des Moines Register, Thompson “said he would consider replacing the federal tax code with a consumption tax. But he stopped short of recommending it or siding with those who favor overhauling the existing code.” [Des Moines Register, 10/2/07]

  
FRED FORGETS TERRI SCHIAVO
 
Katherine could never forget how well the Schiavo issued played in her grassfire events with right-wing voters. 

GOP presidential hopeful Fred Thompson said he doesn't remember much about the Terri Schiavo case that commanded the nation's attention in 2005 - though he appeared in a "Law & Order" episode ripped from those headlines…

Thompson's Tennessee colleague, Sen. Bill Frist, who had his own presidential aspirations, made himself a laughingstock by diagnosing Schiavo as mentally aware based on an edited videotape. An autopsy later proved him wrong. The case was on the front page of every newspaper and generated dinner table arguments across the country.

Thompson helped prep Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts for his Supreme Court confirmation hearings that summer and discussed the case then. In November 2005, Thompson's NBC show even aired an episode called "Age of Innocence" about a husband trying to disconnect his wife's feeding tube over the objections of her family. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/09/14/2007-09-14_
fred_thompson_unprepared_to_answer_on_te.html?ref=rss

Asked for a response n to clarify the former senator's comments earlier on the Terri Schiavo case, a Thompson spokesman said, "While he believes in the sanctity of life, he also believes that it was a decision for the family to make under state law, so there was no role for the federal government to play."

http://www.latestpolitics.com/blog/2007/09/fred-thompson-camp-on-schiavo-no.html

FRED LOVES THE LAW, EXCEPT WHEN IT COMES TO CUBAN CIGARS

Katherine always abides by the law and never accepts free dinners and illegal campaign contributions in exchange for requesting a $10 million earmark.

So we were curious about a Weekly Standard article noting "box upon box" of cigars from Havana in Thompson's office. In a Political Connections interview airing today on Bay News 9, Thompson brushed off the apparent contradiction between the embargo and his fondness for Cuban stogies.

"If I have a friend that occasionally passes me a cigar, I don't check its heritage," he said. "You know, if it's good, I smoke it." Miami-Dade Democratic chairman Joe Garcia questioned whether law-and-order voters will embrace a candidate "who smokes something illegal." http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/16/State/Cuban_stogie_could_be.shtml

FRED FLOPS AFTER MUCH ANTICIPATION

Katherine has always been the underdog in her campaigns, and she has always won. The Democrats stole the Senate race.

He was primed to be the summer's big blockbuster and the script was written in advance: A dispirited party finds its great hope in a swashbuckling Southern senator, riding to the rescue to save Republicans from themselves.

But since the heady days of late spring, when the Fred Thompson fever seemed to infect the GOP, Thompson's pre-campaign has been more "Gigli" than "Gone With the Wind."

He's posted lackluster fundraising numbers. He's faced repeated questions about his lobbying career, his years in politics, as well as his position on abortion.

An announcement rumored for June was pushed back to July, and now early September. His political speeches have been received coolly, with few grand pronouncements or policy proposals that have lived up to his hype.

His potential supporters have grown restless, giving other candidates room to claim the conservative mantle. And, most significantly, his noncampaign has churned through staff like so many extras; Thompson is already on his third spokesman, even though he's had nothing to announce.

Now, the question for former Tennessee Sen. Thompson looms: Will this ex-movie star see his pilot picked up? Or has the Republican Party changed the channel?

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Decision2008/story?id=3538311&page=1